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A
Word About Communion |
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We
now celebrate Holy Communion on the first Sunday of
each EVEN month of the year (February, April,
June, August, October, and December --- and at other
special times/events of the year) at our 11:00 AM
Sunday Morning worship service.
We recognize that Communion is an important
part of our worship and sharing together as the other
parts of our service: music, prayer, Bible reading,
and preaching. |
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However,
many of us were raised in a tradition of participating
in the observance of Holy Communion (it really
wasn’t a celebration, but a solemn duty) on an
occasional basis – once a year or maybe once a
quarter – and many of us are uncomfortable and
unsure about celebrating Communion more than once a
quarter or on an occasional basis.
Please be assured that though Communion is
offered, the decision to participate is
yours alone and can be made without concern about
being judged by others. |
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If you have any concerns or questions about this, please
do not hesitate to contact
Dr. J. William Harris. |
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Please also check out:
The Duty of Constant
Communion |
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At
the 2004 meeting of General
Conference, The United
Methodist Church adopted “This
Holy Mystery: A United
Methodist Understanding of
Holy Communion” as its
official statement concerning
Communion.
We at Mathews have
abridged and adapted this
document and are presenting it
here for your convenience. The
complete document may be found
at
http://www.gbod.org/worship/
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Names
of the Sacrament
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Holy
Communion is one of the two
sacraments recognized by
Protestant churches; Holy
Baptism is the other. Several terms naming this sacrament are being used or have
been used in Christianity.
The Lord’s Supper
reminds us that Jesus Christ
is the host and that we
participate at Christ’s
invitation.
This title suggests the
eating of a meal and makes us
think of the meals that Jesus
ate with various people both
before his death and after his
resurrection.
The term the Last
Supper is not
appropriately used for the
sacrament, but it does
encourage us to remember the
supper that Jesus ate with his
disciples on the night when he
was arrested.
This emphasis is
especially meaningful around
Maundy Thursday.
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The
term Holy Communion
invites us to focus on the
self-giving of the Holy God,
which makes the sacrament an
occasion of grace, and on the
holiness of our communion with
God and one another.
Eucharist, from
the Greek word for
thanksgiving, reminds us that
the sacrament is thanks-giving
to God for the gifts of
creation and salvation.
The term Mass,
used by the Roman Catholic
Church, derives from the Latin
word mission, literally
“sending forth,” and
indicates that this
celebration brings the worship
service to a close by sending
forth the congregation with
God’s blessing to live as
God’s people in the world.
The Divine Liturgy
is a name used mostly by
churches in the tradition of
Eastern Orthodoxy.
All of these names
refer to the same practice:
the eating and drinking of
consecrated bread and wine in
the worshiping community.
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